Adventure Travel Rapidly Expanding, According to New Survey

According to a newly released survey conducted by Travel Leaders Group, one of the country’s largest travel agency companies, in partnership with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), adventure travel is not just for the under 40 set and experienced adventure enthusiasts anymore. The number of adventure travelers in the 29-40 age range differed by only one percentage point from the 41-50 age range, while a healthy 22 percent of adventure travelers falls into the 51-60 age bracket. Adventure travel is now a $683 billion industry.

The survey also revealed the top 10 destinations for adventure travelers (Belize, Italy, Argentina, etc.)  and the top 10 types of adventure travel (cultural, culinary, cycling, hiking, etc.). Below is a list of tours that fit the destinations and types of adventures that are most popular in 2018

Northern Italy & Slovenia Cycling: Rolling vineyards, lush, green forests and snow-capped mountains form the backdrop for this unique cycling tour. Split into two halves, this Plus Tour offered by Tourissimo and Ride & Seek, begins in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in northern Italy, before crossing into Slovenia and includes a variety of multi-sport activities, including river rafting, hiking and more.

Kenya Yoga Retreat: Frontiers International Travel is offering a new yoga retreat in one of the most spiritual locations in Africa. The four-night getaway takes place on the edge of the Chyulu Hills in southern Kenya, where guests will enjoy sunrise and sunset meditation and yoga sessions with incredible views across the wildlife-filled plains to Mount Kilimanjaro’s snow-capped summit.

Glacier Bike and Hike: Bike and hike among the snow-capped mountains, glacier-carved valleys and pristine lakes of Montana’s Glacier National Park and Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park on a new tour from Sojourn Bicycling & Active Vacations. Guests will ride across the Continental Divide on the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road and stay in grand accommodations such as Glacier Park Lodge and Prince of Wales Hotel.

Namibia Adventure: Explore vast and diverse Namibia on a unique safari experience from Adventure Life. See some of the world’s tallest the free-standing sand dunes, search for desert-adapted elephants by four-wheel-drive, track black rhinos on foot, interact with the isolated Himba people, stay at the new, exclusive Sossus Under Canvas Camp and more.

Heli-Fishing Patagonia: Frontiers International Travel offers this helicopter adventure to the only fly-out trout fishery in South America. Based at Lakutaia Lodge, anglers will fish the southernmost rivers of Chilean Patagonia in the UNESCO-listed Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve on remote Navarino Island. Untouched trout waters abound with roads and paths of scarcity preserving the pristine nature of the region.

Rope & Ride in Wyoming: Ride horses, rope cattle, fish for trout and ride ATVs on this Wild West adventure at the 27,000-acre Red Reflet Ranch. No matter the activity level, everybody will indulge in gourmet farm-to-table cuisine, fine wine and luxury accommodations.

Cycling Down Under: On TDA Global Cycling’s Trans-Oceania tour, spend three months crossing southern Australia from Perth to Sydney and New Zealand from Auckland to Queenstown. Ride through coastal wine country, the southern Outback and along the Great Ocean Road, then pass by lakes, hot springs, peaks and glaciers. Not up for the whole tour? Try one shorter section.

Georgia Culinary Tour: Explore the little-known country of Georgia on a culinary and cultural caravan that traverses a land where deeply held traditions are passed down through generations around the dinner table. MIR Corporation guests will meet artisans, monks, chefs and winemakers on a 12-day tour as they discover the history and living traditions of Georgia.

Piedmont Chef Tour: On this Tourissimo tour, travelers bike over rolling hills covered with endless vineyards and past ancient castles and hidden hilltop hamlets. Guests will stay in Pollenzo, where the Slow Food University of Gastronomic Science is based, and learn about the Slow Food movement at its birthplace.

Sri Lanka Bike & Hike: On this week-long cycling tour of Sri Lanka,  Grasshopper Adventures guests will bike from the highlands to the coast, discovering the rich history, delicious cuisine, and welcoming people of this small but diverse country. Travelers will weave through tea plantations, tour the city of Kandy and The Sacred Relic of the tooth of Buddha, explore Yala National Park (elephants, leopards, buffalo, and monkeys), hike the Sinharaja Rainforest Reserve (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and relax on the southern coast.